


shatter

by rinthegreat



Series: Established Shance in a "Canon"verse [9]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, M/M, Pain, Season 5 compliant, not a breakup but close, relationship drama, taking a break
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 14:59:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15173195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinthegreat/pseuds/rinthegreat
Summary: In the end, Lance isn’t the one who destroys their relationship.Set in Season 5.





	shatter

**Author's Note:**

> This spans several episodes. I wrote it all at once (while watching the episodes, of course) because I didn't want to forget anything. This should answer a lot of the questions you guys had from 'what he deserves' about how Shance's relationship started to fail. Despite the intensity, this isn't a breakup fic.
> 
> Basically all the fluff is set in season 4 times. I might go back and add more domestic scenes in there later, but now that 'what he deserves' made this canon divergent, I'm a little eager to get into that aspect. There are a few other season 5/6 scenes to fill in, but the beauty of this universe is that i made it a series instead of an ongoing fic, so I can do things out of order.
> 
> And with that super long, rambly A/N, please enjoy! Unbetaed, but I really like it anyway.

In the end, Lance isn’t the one who destroys their relationship.

It’s something he’s feared since the beginning; that he’d do something that would have Shiro finally realizing that he shouldn’t have dated Lance in the first place. Every stupid joke he makes, every inappropriate comment he says, every time he lets out a less-than-manly squeak during sex, he’s convinced Shiro is gonna pack it in. Cut his losses and tell Lance _it’s been fun but I need to be with someone on my level_.

But it isn’t him.

It’s Lotor.

He should’ve known. From the moment Lance first lay eyes on the prince, he’d felt a strong sense of distrust. But he _had_ saved all their lives, so the least they could do is take him as prisoner.

As time drags on though, he just seems to worm his way deeper and deeper under their skin. Even Allura and Shiro, who Lance had thought were incapable of being moved by anything even remotely related to Zarkon, start listening to him. They’re not idiots. Both of them are smarter than him, so Lance trusts their judgement as they use the banished prince’s intel to tear down the Galra empire.

But then the trust becomes real.

The first splinter between him and Shiro appears when Shiro tells him the plan to rescue Commander Holt. He pulls Lance aside after he suits up and confesses that he intends to give Lotor the black Bayard so he can fight Zarkon when the emperor likely betrays him.

“You – you’re kidding me,” Lance stutters, nearly dropping his arm piece. “Dude that’s like…his dad. Don’t you think he’s more likely to betray us?”

Shiro shakes his head earnestly. “I don’t think so. Lotor’s been helping us _and_ the Coalition for some time now. We have a leg up on the Galra for the first time since Altea fell ten thousand years ago. This is our best bet.”

It’s as if the splinter forms in the air between them. Lance senses it so strongly he can almost feel it. He holds his breath, afraid that even a shift of air could make it grow further. He nods, swallowing past the lump forming in his throat.

Shiro nods, not seeming to notice anything. “We’ll need you for back up if Zarkon moves on us. I’m trusting the castle and the lions to you.” He turns to walk out before stopping. “Oh, and Lance?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t tell anyone about this.”

It should make his heart race, having that level of trust rested on him. Certainly, even a week ago, Lance would’ve preened at the words. But the splinter has wormed its way under his skin, and all he can do is stare at Shiro’s back as he leaves.

\---

Things don’t get better after Zarkon’s death. Lance had thought, when they’d first flown through the wormhole and learned about this intergalactic battle, that Zarkon would be it. He’s the evil Emperor, President Snow, and Voldemort all rolled into one. They defeat him, save the universe, and then go home. That’s how Lance had understood it.

But bringing peace to the universe is a lot more complicated than he’d thought.

As it turns out, ten thousand year old empires don’t topple in a day, and defeating Zarkon just opens a whole new can of worms. Namely, the other generals. Rather than concede defeat and hand over the captured planets to the Coalition, the Galra seem determined to maintain their control, Zarkon or no. So much for cutting off the snake’s head.

Finding Lotor hanging out on the bridge is unpleasant to start with, but Shiro siding with him over the rest of his team is…something else.

“We’ve been in more dangerous situations with much less to gain. Putting Lotor on the Galra throne _is_ what we’ve been discussing,” Shiro states, arguing with the princess. All over Lotor going to some gathering with the most powerful leaders so he can gain the throne. If anything, Shiro should be agreeing with Allura to _not_ go.

“Yeah, but no one told us that we’d be flying into a war zone,” Pidge argues, and Lance has to agree.

“We can’t plan an operation this important so quickly,” Allura declares.

And yet, for some reason, Shiro _still_ isn’t budging. “We don’t have a choice.”

“I’m with Allura,” Lance speaks up. He hates disagreeing with Shiro, especially in front of the others, but he’s wrong on this one. “We need time to think this over.”

Shiro frowns, directing the full weight of his displeasure on him. “Lance, this is not your call.”

Lance’s eyes widen. The splinter from before is back, scratching at the air between them. He can’t do anything but stare at Shiro as he continues to argue with Allura, despite the entire team disagreeing with him. Lance’s ears buzz as the conversation continues without him, everyone but Hunk siding with Allura.

“Look, this isn’t a vote,” Shiro argues. “ _I’m_ the leader of Voltron, and I’m making this decision.”

Allura steps forward, angry. “Like when you armed Lotor with your Bayard without consulting the rest of us.” Well, except for Lance, but he’d kept his promise to Shiro and hadn’t told the rest of them.

“That’s right.” Shiro doesn’t budge. “Making that decision resulted in the removal of Zarkon.”

“You put the entire operation in jeopardy,” Allura lectures.

Anger seems to finally catch up to Shiro. “I put an end to Zarkon’s reign. Now is the time to finish the job.”

They look close to coming to blows, so Lance steps between them, hoping his presence alone can calm Shiro down, the way it had when he’d been worried over Pidge. “Shiro,” he starts, “we’re all on the same side here.”

Shiro whips around so fast it gives Lance whiplash. “I told you to stay out of this!”

Again, Lance’s eyes widen. It’s no longer a splinter between them; it’s grown into a full size crack so palpable he’s surprised no one else on the team can see it. Lotor speaks up, and that settles the argument in Shiro’s eyes.

But for Lance, that isn’t the end.

Shiro’s never yelled at him before, not really. Not like this. He’s snapped at Lance when he’s been tired and Lance’s antics get to be too much. He’s raised his voice when Lance gets too inappropriate or childish. But he’s never yelled at him like this before.

Their relationship, once so strong in Lance’s mind, is now nothing more than cracked glass. He’s having a hard time connecting the Shiro who had claimed to love him – repeatedly – to the one standing before him on the bridge now.

He may as well be a different person.

Meeting complete, Lance disappears onto the training deck. Lotor and Shiro apparently have a lot to talk about, and Lance doesn’t want to spend his day getting snapped at when he disagrees with them.

He pulls out his Bayard, systematically shooting at the training ball-bots as they spin faster and faster. He uses his sniper, his favored weapon, but there are too many of them. Without much of a thought, he swings, slicing them all with the sword that appeared.

He has absolutely no idea how he managed that; a thought he says aloud to Allura when she appears.

“I think your Bayard has shown you what we’ve _all_ been noticing: you have great inner strength.” Allura means it as a compliment, and part of Lance is flattered.

But a much, much larger part of him is still not over what happened earlier.

He sighs. “I don’t think Shiro has noticed,” he says, dejected.

“Shiro has been quite difficult lately,” Allura agrees. “I’m not sure what to do. We seem to constantly be at odds.”

It’s true, that she and Shiro have been arguing more and more lately. Mostly about what to do with Lotor and how to handle things with the Coalition. They’re both leaders in different ways, and neither of them seem capable of letting the other take control. “You guys are under a lot of pressure,” he assures her. “Having Lotor around doesn’t help,” he adds darkly.

Allura frowns at the ground, lost in her own thoughts. “Sometimes it feels like it was easier to fight the Galra rather than to try to work with them.”

Allura might be the only one who understands him right now. Pidge and Hunk distrust Lotor, but they don’t fight it as hard, trusting Allura and Shiro to do what’s best in the end. Allura holds a grudge against Lotor different than Lance’s own, but he thinks she’d understand in a way.

However, no matter what, Lance is loyal to Shiro. They may have had a falling out, but Shiro _is_ under a lot of pressure. So rather than complaining to Allura, Lance gives him the benefit of the doubt.

“You both have the Coalition’s best interests at heart. Don’t forget that,” Lance reminds her. “Shiro isn’t your enemy.”

He sees the moment Allura believes him. She smiles, agreeing, and when she leaves the training deck, Lance feels better than he had when she’d arrived.

\---

For a moment, Lance thinks that their relationship might survive. That the crack might not spread any further than it already has. That he and Shiro will move past this and look back as if the whole Lotor mess had been nothing but a blip on their radar.

Fighting as Voltron helps, strange though it sounds. When they’re connected by their lions, Lance can feel just how earnest Shiro is in his desire to defend those who aren’t strong enough to defend themselves. Taking out an enemy the way they had when Zarkon had sent the Robeasts after them brings back a sense of normalcy. It’s almost nostalgic.

But Lance can’t get it out of his head, what had happened in the other plane.

_Lance. Lance, listen to me!_

He hadn’t been able to hear anything more than that. Shiro had seemed so urgent; like he’d needed Lance to hear something right then or else…or else…

Or else what? They’d made it out of the cocoon. They’d defeated the plant-monster. So what had Shiro needed?

He chews over that while they oversee the cleanup of the contaminated vines, until he can’t handle the curiosity anymore. “Hey, Shiro,” he starts. The others aren’t close by, so at least they don’t have to witness this if it turns out badly. “What were you trying to tell me in that void thing earlier?”

“What do you mean?” Well, at least he doesn’t seem angry anymore.

“You were shouting at me.” Lance looks over at him. Shiro’s so far away. Too far. “I couldn’t hear you.”

“I dunno,” Shiro answers, looking away. “Things went dark there for a second.” He pauses before smiling and turning his eyes back to meet Lance’s. “But good work today. I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier.”

All the aggression and heat is gone from Shiro’s stance. Lance softens. Just seeing Shiro more relaxed is relieving. Maybe a good fight was all he’d needed. A pump of adrenaline.

But then Shiro gets that faraway look in his eyes again, the way he does whenever something like this happens; the headaches or the missing memories. Lance wishes he could do more to help, but he knows he can’t. He can be there for Shiro out here, but there’s nothing he can do to fight the demons in Shiro’s mind except remind him to trust himself.

\---

The problem with not being the cause of his own relationship’s downfall is that Lance doesn’t know how to fix it. If it had been something he did, he could do something about it. But Shiro’s slipping out of his reach through no fault of his own, and Lance can’t do anything to stop it.

The crack remains in the forefront of his mind as Lotor tells them all about this Kral Zera thing. Even Allura is starting to listen to him, which just makes Lance distrust him even more.

But he has to admit, Lotor has a point. All the Galra the prince points out as being the potential future rulers are terrible choices. Honestly, Lotor _might_ be the best option.

It’s still too risky, though, and Allura points that out. They’re walking into what will absolutely be a fight for the Galra throne, and right now, they can’t afford to do that. What they should do is let those evil Galra generals fight amongst themselves for a while, then Voltron will take down whoever reigns victorious.

Of course, Shiro doesn’t seem to like this plan. He doesn’t fight them this time. Instead he stomps out of the bridge, leaving a cold breeze behind him.

“Uh…” Hunk asks. “What’s up with Shiro?”

Lance wishes he knew the answer.

\---

The glass breaks like this:

Lance is on the training deck, practicing with his new broad sword when the castle goes on red alert. He ends the training sequence and races to the bridge. He’s the last one there, but other than Allura, he’s the only one in his armor.

“What’s going on?” he asks, looking around. “Where’s Shiro?”

Allura doesn’t turn to greet him, instead focusing her energy on creating a wormhole. “Shiro took Lotor to the Kral Zera. In the black lion.”

Lance’s blood runs cold.

He takes a seat, ready to pilot red at a moment’s notice, but his heart isn’t in it. This…this isn’t Shiro. All this yelling and leading Voltron alone, the way Zarkon would. None of that is Shiro. This is destroying more than just their relationship; it’s destroying the team, and there’s nothing Lance can do to stop it.

He smacks his cheeks when Allura finally sends them into the lions, mentally injecting adrenaline into his system. Shiro may have gone against all their wishes, but in doing so he put himself in the middle of a war zone. _That_ is the more pressing concern that Lance needs to focus on. Get Shiro home, and then worry about the fallout later.

He flies Red out of the wormhole first, using her speed to his advantage. “Looks like you could use some help!” he shouts, blasting a Galra fighter who’d been hiding in Shiro’s blind spot. He’ll destroy anyone who tries to kill Shiro.

They still fight flawlessly as Voltron, defending Lotor as he takes the throne. He _is_ the best option they have, so Lance shouldn’t be upset over protecting him.

But the cracks have spread, and Lance knows that he and Shiro are seconds from shattering completely.

He remains as calm as he can, keeping his tumultuous emotions away from Voltron. He manages it until they disband and dock their lions. Shiro, by virtue of being the black paladin, makes it to the bridge first. By the time Lance gets there, Shiro’s already congratulating Lotor on his ascent to the throne. They grasp elbows the way old friends and comrades at arms do, and Lance can’t be here anymore.

He turns and storms off the bridge right when Allura arrives.

“La –“ Her call is cut off by the bridge door closing.

Lance makes his way purposefully to the training deck. He’d thought that Keith had been an idiot for always training. Emotionally stunted even. But right now, he thinks Keith might’ve had the right idea. Nothing sounds better than burning off some energy by beating a gladiator to a pulp.

Or, in Lance’s case, getting beaten to a pulp.

His stance is wrong, as Allura has pointed out many times, and Lance isn’t used to fighting hand-to-hand. He’s a ranged fighter, a sniper. All this sword nonsense is new to him.

The gladiator’s staff slots between his hand and the handle of his Bayard and flips it out of his grasp, flinging it across the floor. It rams the other end of the staff into his stomach, lifting Lance into the air. He goes flying across the room before slamming down on the ground. Hard.

“End training sequence.” The last voice Lance wants to hear right now rings out across the training deck.

He groans and sits upright, grasping his ribs. They are definitely bruised.

“I thought I might find you in here,” Shiro says, stepping forward. He has Lance’s Bayard in his outstretched hand, offering it to him. Shiro means to help him up, but Lance takes the Bayard instead, pushing himself to his feet without any help. “Are you okay?” And Shiro actually has the gall to sound worried.

Lance snorts. “Wow, okay.”

Shiro frowns. “I’m serious. That blow looked like it hurt. Do you need a healing pod?” He reaches for Lance, but Lance smacks his hand away. “What’s gotten into you?”

“What’s gotten into me?” Lance snaps. “What’s gotten into _you_? We agreed not to go to the Kral Zahl!”

Shiro crosses his arms over his chest. “I told you; that wasn’t up for a vote. I’m the leader of Voltron, and we needed to make a decision. Not supporting Lotor would’ve ensured that we’d still be at war with the entire empire. This was the right choice, and the outcome should’ve made that obvious.”

He’s lecturing Lance, the same way he’s lectured him back when they’d first gone through the wormhole. As if Lance is too stupid to see what should be right in front of his face. The cracks spread further, encouraged by Lance’s anger this time. “No, I don’t think the outcome _does_ make it obvious,” he shoots back venomously. “The ends don’t justify the means, Shiro. We talked about this; you _said_ you were going to try trusting people who aren’t just Keith. That means your teammates, not some random space prince.”

“That space prince saved our lives,” Shiro shoots back firmly, using the voice he uses to end arguments. This time, Lance isn’t having any of it.

“That space prince has you wrapped around his finger.”

“Enough!”

Lance flinches from the full force of Shiro’s shout, but it devolves into a wince when he jostles his rib cage. He might have cracked one. Shiro sighs, drawing his hand over his face. “I’m sorry that I yelled, but I can’t apologize for what I did. It was the right thing to do; I _know_ it was.”

“But I don’t,” Lance insists quieter. “I don’t trust him, Shiro.”

Shiro lets out a bark that couldn’t be mistaken for a laugh on a good day. “So you don’t trust me.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“If you trusted me, you’d trust who I trust,” Shiro states simply. “I trust him to bring peace to the universe.”

“Shiro…” But Lance doesn’t have a response for that. Because no matter what Shiro says, he doesn’t trust Lotor. Maybe he’s wrong, but there’s something about the prince that just…rubs him the wrong way.

“I think,” Shiro swallows, looking away. “I think maybe we should take a break.”

The glass shatters.

“What?” Lance whispers. The air feels suspended around him, as if time froze the moment Shiro had spoken. “You’re breaking up with me?” All the warnings, all the feelings he’d had should’ve prepared him for this, and yet…

And yet.

“No,” Shiro insists, turning back towards him. His eyes are troubled, pained. “I’m not breaking up with you.”

Lance lets out his own fake laugh. It comes out jittery and hysterical, even to his own ears. “Shiro, I’m not an idiot. I know what taking a break means.”

“I don’t want to break up with you,” Shiro insists. “I love you, Lance. I still love you, even if we disagree on this.”

“Then why…”

“I need some time to think,” Shiro says in a strained voice. “All this is…new. And unexpected. I just need time to figure some things out.” _Time without you_ is unspoken in the space between them.

Lance swallows hard. “Fine,” he agrees. “A break. I’m just gonna,” he gestures vaguely, “go to a healing pod now.”

Shiro takes an aborted step forward before catching himself. He stands back and watches Lance with concern in his eyes, and Lance forces himself to look away. He doesn’t need to make this any more painful than it is. It may be just a break, but it’s leading to an inevitable end.

And that’s something the healing pod can’t fix.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to add a fic after this one with the scene where Shance has the "you don't have to babysit me" conversation, because man that has some deeper meanings after this conversation. I might get around to that later.
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](https://rinthegreat.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rinthegreat_ao3)!


End file.
